


Woozi The Witch In Training.

by mxrphvs (ssulrealism)



Series: Serenity Falls Universe [1]
Category: After School (Band), NCT (Band), SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M, Red Velvet Lovelyz After School Pristin etc make minor appearances, Supernatural Elements, gravity falls inspired, vampires witches fae and other stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-11-09 17:02:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11108940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssulrealism/pseuds/mxrphvs
Summary: Welcome to Serenity Falls, where the magical outnumber the ordinary. Where the weird, strange and magical can live their lives like any other resident of a small town. Here, Lee Jihoon has spent almost all his life living peacefully, under the same roof as his fellow witches. Until Kwon Soonyoung, the human comes crashing into his life. Upsetting the balance not just for Jihoon, but every other resident as his visit is the catalyst for the weird getting weirder.





	1. Spell no.0: Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, this is my first work on ao3. I first thought of this fic back when Adore U first came out, but was never happy with what I wrote. 2 years later and countless number of re-writes I think i'm finally happy. I don't really like writing fics with lots of chapters so i'm probably gonna split the story up based off pairings. Starting off with Hoshi and Woozi. 
> 
> I hope you like it c:

There was only one bus with a route that took you into the uncharted territory that was where Serenity Falls found itself nestled comfortably in. With all the rumors and whisperings of the weird and unexplained things that went on in that small town, few people ventured a visit. Which is why the employee behind the ticket counter shot Soonyoung a weird look when he told him where he was headed. The man looked like he wanted to ask the younger something, but he was completely silent as he took out a pen to write the name of his destination on the ticket. Only speaking briefly as he took the cash from Soonyoung’s hands.

“In all the years I’ve worked here only three other people have asked for a ticket to Serenity Falls. Most people don’t even like to take the bus that passes through.” His voice was gruff and worn but like old leather it was still soft, it was comfortable. He handed Soonyoung the ticket, words still withheld, but he looked him straight in the eyes, and seemed to know now.

_The only people who travel to Serenity Falls have questions that need to be answered._

Soonyoung didn’t have much luggage with him, he had packed up his whole life into one duffel bag. It wasn’t exactly brimming to the top either. Just another sad reminder that the past he was leaving behind had never amounted to much. It was early in the morning, and he was four bus trips and one three hour car ride away from his home. What had been his home. It wasn’t home anymore. Serenity Falls was his home now.

He sure hoped the locals were friendly.

 

Jihoon wasn’t one for early mornings. It usually took the combined efforts of Joshua, Seungkwan, Minghao and occasionally, when he could be assed- Jeonghan. That was just to get the boy out of bed. To get him functioning he needed the bare minimum of three cups of coffee and two scones with jam. Often times Kahi or Uee would just stuff one into his mouth the moment he stepped into the kitchen. It was the best way to keep him from complaining first thing.  
“It’s amazing that with a body so small, you can still eat us out of house and home.” Nana remarked, lips curving upward as Jihoon gave her the finger, eyes still caked with sleep.

  
“Hey now-“ A kind voice, a motherly one that still held absolute authority over the house shouted from the kitchen. 

“We don’t flip one another off- not at the breakfast table- I don’t care how sleep deprived you are.”

  
A striking women with long flowing brown hair stepped into the dining hall, plates of piping hot food following after her like lost puppies. She was dressed like a 50’s housewife from some archaic family sitcom. Except that she was dressed in all black- from her shoes to her tights to her jewelry. Even her nail polish was pitch dark. She was Headmistress Kahi, the owner of the coven- the orphanage- the house for misfits and weirdos. She was strong and powerful, but she was also caring. None of the residents, not even Jihoon could find a fault in her. After all, she was the reason they all had a roof over their heads with three meals a day and beds with thick blankets. This extended past those who lived just in their house- the vampires had made a comfortable living in the church on her property (something they all found endlessly entertaining) and the werewolves had a safe space in the many acres of forest she owned. She asked for nothing in return, “Merely fulfilling a promise.” Was all she spoke of the matter.

  
Not to mention, she was the reason they could control the gifts they had. Jihoon had been a mess of erratic energy- fire shooting from his palms- lava spilling from his mouth- his tears burning through skin. Raina had to bind him with a particularly nasty protective enchantment just to ensure his safety on his way to the orphanage. Something she still apologizes for to this day.  
A simple wave of her hands and everyone present had a plate in front of them. Still, there were two plates still floating behind her- a quick snap of her fingers and that was remedied. Both plates shooting like rockets out of the room.  
“Jun and Wonwoo are still holed up in the basement with their books.” Minghao grumbled, shoving a forkful of eggs into his mouth.  
“Your brother is one weird human. Who in their right mind marries a Fae of all creatures.” Jeonghan stated, slathering a generous heaping of jam onto his scone.  
“ _Half-human._ ” Minghao corrected him before continuing to eat.  
They spent the next few minutes in relative silence, Jihoon could see Seungkwan’s mind going a mile a minute as he thought of something to say to relieve the tension in the air.

It was Headmistress Kahi who spoke up first.  
“We will be getting a new resident soon. A human.”

Silverware hit china plates, wooden chairs and plush carpet. Joshua was the most scandalized out of all of them, “I know we let Jun stay here with us after he was able to track down Minghao but, is that _safe_? _Can he be trusted_?”  
“Now Joshua, not all humans are bad. You’re quite fond of Yeri and Wendy, aren’t you? And you liked Chan well enough before he was turned.”  
“ _Yes_ \- but-“  
She shushed him lovingly, a calming smile graced her face.  
“It’ll be ok, he’s a young man who’s lost his way and he needs a home for the time being. He’ll be attending the same college as you next semester, I’m sure you will all become fast friends.”  
“Yeah, all of us except Jihoon- a human so much as looks at him and he breaks out into a rash.” Jeonghan quipped before getting out of his seat.  
There was a hint of snickering throughout the air as Jihoon’s ears turned pink. He slammed his hands against the table, not even bothering to whisk away his dishes into the sink as he stormed up to his room.  
He stayed in there until he heard the familiar rattling of the only bus that passed through Serenity Falls, the wheels squeaking as it pulled up to the house.


	2. Spell no.1: The Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soonyoung is introduced to some members of the house. Some insight into his and Jihoon's past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Breathes. This turned out a bit darker than I expected.  
> I apologize not too much happens in this chapter lol, next chapter things will pick up c:

So.

_He was here._

The house was larger than he had expected. It was a sprawling victorian mansion, like something from another time. It was painted a cloudy gray, with white molding. Each tile of the roof looked like it’d been made by hand. Silver embellishments adorned the doors, windows and the roof. The final cherry on top was the traditional weather wheel on top, depicting a witch on a broom. Soonyoung felt like he was underdressed, was this really a house that was open to the likes of him? The lawn was perfectly manicured, in the distance he could see an actual church. This place actually had it’s own church. 

“Yeah- but I wouldn’t go in there if you value your time in the sunlight.” 

He jumped, as a thin boy with light brown hair bent down to grab onto his duffel bag. 

“I- Uh- Sorry for speaking out loud. You’ve got a nice place here.”

The other shrugged, hoisting the bag over his shoulder. 

“You didn’t.” 

With that, he brought a confused Soonyoung into the house, leading him by the hand. 

 

The foyer was just as ornate as the exterior. Everything was old, maybe even centuries old. The walls were wallpapered with decorative flowers in rich colors. He had never seen anything like it in his life. There was even a grandfather clock that was embellished with mother of pearl. The boy he was with seemed unfazed by it all. Was the rest of the house this elaborate? 

“You’ll be rooming with me- I’m Minghao by the way.” 

Upon taking a second look, Soonyoung realized that while Minghao was thin, he was almost all muscle. He had pointed ears and fierce almond shaped eyes, he was tall too. Taller than Soonyoung, but just slightly. 

“Nice to meet you, I’m-“ 

“Kwon Soonyoung, we all know.” The boy cut him off but looked as if he instantly regretted it. “Sorry- our headmistress had a meeting this morning where she told us all about you. We’re all excited by the way- well, almost all of us. It’s been a while since we last had a new resident.” He shot him a reassuring smile.

 

He plopped onto his bed the moment Minghao told him which one it was. The feeling of relief instantly washed over him, it had been some time since he had last had an actual bed to sleep in. What a wonderful feeling being able to stretch out your legs is. There wasn’t much to say about his room. The bed was comfy, but simple- which suited him just fine. It only added to his relief that their personal rooms weren’t as fancy as the rest of the house. He had a small dresser to put his things in, and a small bookshelf that was currently bare. The room wasn’t large but it happily housed both his and Minghao’s things without complaint. He noticed Minghao’s dresser held a picture frame, in it Minghao was seen smiling widely with a boy wearing large wolf ears. He couldn’t really judge. He had been into some weird things as a teen. Besides that there wasn’t much, a few books, most looked like they were for school- but some had weird titles. _‘Divination: Around The World’_ , _‘Tarot Cards And You: How To Tell The Future With Your Friend The Six Of Cups’_ , and _‘Dark Magic Of The Mind’_. None of them seemed like typical teenager reading, but then- Soonyoung wasn’t in the position to judge. 

 

“How many people live here?” He wondered out loud, as Minghao folded the few clothes he had (he had told him not to, but the other had insisted “this dresser is sensitive- they don’t open easily to strangers” whatever that meant). 

There was a small pause as he seemed to mentally go through a rolodex of everyone who lived in the house. 

“There’s us, Jeonghan, Joshua, Seungkwan, Jihoon- Jun, Wonwoo, Headmistress Kahi, Uee, Nana, Raina…” A thought must have hit the other, because his mouth gaped and he stared at Soonyoung with inquisitive eyes.

_“Wait do you want me to count the others who live in the church and the woods?”_

For the second time that day there was uncomfortable silence. 

 

“What? You have people who live in the woods?— Like a homeless camp or something?” A strange mix of nostalgia and regret washed over Soonyoung, he was thrust back into a time in his life he’d like to forget. He could feel the sun wash over him with unbearable heat, still he was unwilling to take off any of his many layers. You never knew when someone would try to steal from you. Even if you were “family”. There was a light stench of garbage, it was present everywhere, a scent you couldn’t escape. Somewhere off in the distance— cars, the faint hum of a highway. He crunched his way through leaves and brush, trying to find a spot with shade. This wasn’t the most comfortable way of life, but still it was more than he felt he deserved. He dug into his shirt, pulling out a long chain with a small pendant at the end. A hollow circle with a straight line cutting it in half. 

_“Remember son- ‘The fool thinks he’s wise, but the wiseman knows himself to be a fool’”_

He laughed, tears falling down his cheeks “Shakespeare, even in a place like this—”

 

Minghao snapping his fingers brought him back to the present. 

“Hello?” 

“Sorry, I was lost in thought.” 

“I could see. You should listen though, it’s important to know about the vampires and werewolves. I’m sure Headmistress will tell you more about the rules so I’ll just give you the basic overview.” 

This kid sure had a wild imagination. 

 

It would be approximately five hours, thirty three minutes and seven seconds before Soonyoung realized that Minghao was totally serious. He would find out as he was introduced to Minghao’s boyfriend, Mingyu. A tall boy with tanned skin, grey eyes and jet black hair. He had faint scares littering his arms and neck. Soonyoung, having spent the past five hours talking to Minghao, he no longer felt as reserved and shy as before. He asked Mingyu straight up where he got his scars, not noticing the sly glint in the other’s eyes nor Minghao planting his face into his own hands, whispering a “great—“. It was then that Mingyu took this opportunity to slide up close to Soonyoung and bare his teeth with a menacing smile, teeth that were sharper than any human’s could possibly be. Large ears popping up onto his head, his eyes changing from a steely grey to bright gold.

“Ask me again next full moon and I’ll gladly give you a demonstration.”

With that Soonyoung hit the floor with a loud thump. Minghao could only shout at his boyfriend. 

“Must you do that all the time?!” 

“Yeah— but up until now he’s the only one who’s fainted. Shame. With his physique I thought he’d be a great addition to my pack.” 

“You’re insufferable.” Minghao huffed, checking the collapsed boy for any damage. Luckily, he still had a pulse.

Mingyu latched onto the other’s waist from behind, burying his face into Minghao’s neck with a hum of, “But you still love me.”

 

 

 

 _“Why is the human in my room?!”_ The booming voice made the whole house shake. Jihoon had made himself scarce as soon as the human had shown up, sneaking out the back. He had decided the only way to calm his nerves would be a long stroll through their gardens, maybe even pop into the church to say hello to Seungcheol. A visit that had taken almost six hours. When he came back he was lighter, maybe even happier— but all that came crashing down when he saw an unknown boy sleeping on his bed. He was drooling. 

“Your room was the closest.” Jeonghan shrugged, flicking his fingers so that a bowl of eggs would begin to be whisked. 

Like hell his room is the closest. 

“You thought it’d be one hell of a laugh if the human-phobe had a snoozing human on their bed.” Jihoon gritted his teeth. In a few minutes Jeonghan’s cake was going to be splattered across the ceiling if he didn’t fess up. 

“Yeah- but your reaction isn’t as fun as I thought’d be.” 

 

Seungkwan offered to move Soonyoung for Jihoon but all it took was one disapproving look from Jeonghan, one that was laced with “See, you’re so weak” and Jihoon was up the flight of stairs muttering to himself that it was nothing, he was just a human. He couldn’t do any harm to him. Hopefully.

 

“You really shouldn’t tease him— You know that out of all of us, he has the strongest memories of life outside. Would you treat Minghao like you treat him?” Joshua was obviously concerned, he was gripping the bag of flour so tight Jeonghan thought he might rip it in half. 

“Minghao is my baby.”

“And Woozi is mine— You know the state he’d been in when he first arrived.” 

“And do you remember the state Minghao was in?” Jeonghan countered. 

 

Neither boy looked at each other. Though neither remembered their lives before coming to the house, they both vividly remembered Jihoon and Minghao’s arrival. Minghao had been a wreck, he was all bones and skin, his hair was matted, the slightest movement made him cower. His body had scars that wouldn’t heal. Couldn’t heal. The moment Uee got sight of him she had trashed half the place in a fit of rage. Jeonghan will never forget the tears that fell from Nana as she cleaned the younger’s wounds. Her tears were normally clear, sparkling and could heal but on that day they were murky and putrid, burning everything they touched. Kahi had to make her leave, least she hurt Minghao more than help him. Which is how he had come into Jeonghan’s care. Their bond cemented the day he healed wounds so deep you could see bone. They were inseparable for a while, Jeonghan was the only one he trusted, the only one he talked to. He was the first person Minghao called “brother”. 

Might be why Jun’s arrival still left a bitter taste in Jeonghan’s mouth, but that’s for another day. 

 

Woozi had been a ball of fire, Joshua could still smell the burnt hair mixed with smoke. It had destroyed Raina to have to bind him up with such a nasty enchantment, but it was for his own good. Joshua knew that, but it still hurt to think about. He’d slept for weeks, his body worn out from all the struggling. His skin had deep set burn marks. Marks that took three weeks for Nana of constant healing to get to fade. Marks that still showed to this day, which is why Woozi always dresses so conservatively. He’s not like Mingyu, there is no pride in his scars. 

The nightmares started on the second night. He’d screamed so loud he woke the whole house up. There was nothing they could do to stop him. They just had to wait. Even with noise canceling spells you could still hear the faint muffling of Woozi shouting in his sleep. So Joshua spent his nights camped out, waiting for him to stop. When Woozi awoke, a sleeping Joshua, bundled up in three different blankets, his head resting on his favorite stuffed animal was the first thing he saw. When the rest of the house awoke, they were greeted with the two, curled up into one another. 

They were best friends since that day. 

 

“You should talk to him.” Joshua told Jeonghan before leaving the other to finish his baking. 

 

 

Soonyoung was heavier than Jihoon had expected. He was dead weight, fast asleep on the spare bed in Jihoon’s room. So far, he had succeeded in lifting the other halfway off, but he was afraid of bumping his head against the wood floor. A part of him was shouting, “fuck it— why do you owe a human any kind of gentleness?” but another wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle the wrath that came with angering a human. He was way past extreme discomfort. His whole body was clammy, his fingers trembling. 

 

“It’s amazing to me how you still insist on doing things the human way. You know you don’t need to touch him at all. Don’t say it’s because you don’t know how to levitate someone, you need to have more confidence in your magic. I’ve seen you practice with Uee, I know you can do it.” 

 

Jeonghan had his body leaning against the doorway, watching Jihoon struggle with the human boy. Honestly, he was the last person Jihoon wanted to see. He had no intention of staying for another round of teasing so he promptly dropped Soonyoung’s legs and prepared to make his exit. The other stopped him, wrapping his arms around his shoulders as he brought him into a bone crushing hug. 

 

“I’m sorry Woozi.” The voice was so faint, Jihoon almost hadn’t caught it. He’d used Jihoon’s nickname too, a name seldom used by anyone other than Joshua. He looked up at the taller, a questioning look written on his face. Jeonghan almost never apologized, and rarely in such a frank way. At least, not to him.

 

No on really knows when the two became so antagonistic. It seemed so uncharacteristic for Jeonghan, a man so used to being a mother to the others; to be so cruel, even in a lighthearted way to someone like Jihoon. Mingyu thinks it’s because Joshua and Jihoon have each other, so there isn’t a need for the motherly Jeonghan. He’s free to treat him like they’re the same age, instead of like the ones who are younger.

Something that seemed to be confirmed today. 

 

“I know that you might think I prefer others over you because I’m not as gentle with you as I am with them, and I tease you a lot but, that was always Joshua’s job, right? To look after you.” Jihoon could finally see his face, his eyes sad, his face tight. 

“But I care for you, we’re family after all.” There’s a soft nod. 

“Never forget that ok?” 

“Ok.”

“Now come on, do you want me to show you how to do a levitation charm or can I trust that you’ve played keep away with Seungkwan’s snacks enough to know how to properly execute one?” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you'd like, leave a comment ^^   
> Also I have a [tumblr](http://ssulrealisim.tumblr.com) for my writing!


	3. spell no.2: The Undead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> zombies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°  
> I apologize for the delay, I had a very stressful week followed by being really sick ; ;  
> This chapter was a handful to edit too. It's about twice as long as the others, in fact it's gonna double the word count lol. I hope you like it!  
> As always, feel free to leave a comment if you'd like!

Typically on a Wednesday night, Uee and Nana fight over checkers while Raina yells at them to keep it quiet so she can read in peace. Kahi spends some time by the fire, resting her weary feet. Seungkwan usually has Vernon over, the two of them talking endlessly till the other vampires pry them apart because its feeding time. Jeonghan is in Seungcheol’s lap as they talk about the same mundane things Seungkwan and Vernon are. Mingyu, Seokmin and Minghao all watch a movie together, doing more complaining about the movie than actually watching it. Joshua tutors Chan on his math homework. At some point, Jun and Wonwoo stumble out from the dark basement, Wonwoo in search of food and Jun in search of Minghao. That’s usually when the two have some awkward sibling bonding time which signals to the others that it’s time for them to head out. Jihoon spends most of his nights up in his room alone. 

 

This Wednesday night is different. Kahi had insisted on throwing Soonyoung a welcome party of sorts. Make it easier for him to get to know the others, not just the ones who live in the house. It was meant to be a small get together, just the family and close friends. A peaceful affair with dinner and maybe some games after. What it had turned into was a rager like none Soonyoung had ever seen. The whole house was rocking with the sound of bass. He had woken up from his werewolf induced sleep, thinking everything had been a dream, only to be face-to-face with the other— wolf ears, sharp grin and all. Minghao was behind him, a large paper firecracker in his hands, which he popped— spraying confetti everywhere— as soon as he saw that Soonyoung was conscious and among the living. 

“We’re throwing a party for you.” Was all he’d been told as he was dragged, half-asleep down the stairs. The music hitting him instantly, people cheering as soon as they saw him step off the last step. 

“We’ve got quite the cast of characters to get through. Everyone is really excited to meet you. It’s been quite some time since we got a new resident.” Minghao mentioned, pulling him by the hand again. Mingyu just nodded, slinging a protective arm around his boyfriend’s shoulder. 

 

“This is Seokmin” Minghao gestured towards a man who was all smiles, his eyes covered by a pair of silly glasses, the kind where the eyeballs pop out. The moment Seokmin laid his eyes on Soonyoung he shouted at the top of his lungs, making the other jolt. 

“It’s nice to finally meet you man!” He shouted, pulling him into a bone crushing hug that both made him fear for his life but also feel somehow, lifted and warm. There was something that he liked about the other guy. His laughter was pretty infectious. Seokmin’s fake eyeballs sprang out from the glasses frame, an eyeball landing on Soonyoung’s shoulder. 

For a moment, it was like his past wasn’t a thing. Soonyoung could feel his old self coming back. 

“Hey man— I know I just got here and all but don’t worry you can trust me. There’s no need to keep an eye on me—“ He glanced at the other cheekily, snapping his fingers and pointing at him.

_“Ayyeeeeeeeeee”_

_“Ayeeeeeeeeeeeeee”_

Instant best friends.

Minghao found his face in his hands out of second hand embarrassment for the second time that day. 

 

The rest was a blur. Soonyoung had been taken through the ringer, meeting surely every single person in town. The list of names he had to remember only growing and growing. He met all of his housemates, and thought favorably of all of them. Seungkwan was by far the most kind and sweet to him right off the bat. He had set Soonyoung down and given him a plate full of cookies. He had then proceeded to tell him all about the town, the history, the myths and rumors, and of course, the best place to get pie. “Serenity Falls is a strange town— I mean, where else can you find werewolves and vampires living happily together?” He’d said, like it was the most bizarre thing in the world. Soonyoung had stuffed his mouth with a cookie and nodded his head, like he hadn’t fainted at the sight of Mingyu’s teeth earlier. He could hear the werewolf snickering somewhere in the background. Cheeky brat. 

 

Joshua seemed the most standoffish, but Soonyoung couldn’t blame him. He seemed very protective of the others. It wasn’t as motherly as Jeonghan, who Soonyoung had watched clean Chan’s face with a damp napkin and nag Seungkwan to close his mouth and stop talking while he was eating. It felt like, to Soonyoung, like the other boy took in everyone’s worries and concerns. As if he was some emotional sponge, soaking up everything. So he didn’t really mind if all Joshua gave him was a curt nod and a stifled smile, his greeting short and simple. He’d wandered off before Soonyoung could even respond.

 

He had found himself squished in between Jeonghan and Chan. The couch he was sitting on, ornate and large but a bit uncomfortable. The kind of couch meant to look good but not to be used for anything practical. He hadn’t known either for long but he liked them. Chan was a cute boy, a relatively young werewolf who asked a lot of questions. Jeonghan was calmer, but he had a look in his eyes, like he knew all your secrets. It made Soonyoung uneasy but he was friendly, good with small talk and was the one who made him the welcome cake. Which was really good. 

 

He was on his third slice, half-listening to the two of them talk, half-listening to the pop song on full blast. His fork was still in his mouth, trying to get every last crumb of delicious cake when there was a boom. 

Not a loud boom, a barely audible boom. A boom that seemed to stop time and cause all sound to go silent. For a quick moment, Soonyoung felt weightless, he swore his butt lifted off the couch. 

 

_Then it all came crashing down._

 

There were screams, people were yelling and running for cover. Everything was a blur and Soonyoung dropped his plate in a panic, he tried to follow after Chan but the boy had disappeared like smoke.

He felt someone grab his hand and pull him off the couch as everyone rushed to get out. 

That was when someone’s voice hit his eardrums like a cymbal being crashed right next to him, 

 _“Zombies!!!”_  

It hadn’t even bet twenty-four hours and suddenly Soonyoung was faced with zombies. 

Serenity Falls was one hell of a place. 

 

The house was complete chaos, he still had no idea who had grabbed onto him or why, but it didn’t really matter because his mind was full of a lot of things and that was at the bottom of the list. His back slammed against a wooden cabinet and for the first time he got a look at his companion. A slender man, panting heavily and pushing his sweaty bangs out of his face met his eyes. They’re crouched, in a bathroom. The lights are off, the door is closed shut. His toes curl up against the cold tile floor.

Joshua was one of the last people Soonyoung had expected to grab him in an emergency. Before he could get a word out the other shushed him.

“Quiet. Zombies can’t see that well, but they can hear really, really well.” His voice is low and almost inaudible. 

“So this isn’t your first time combating the undead?” Soonyoung whispered with a small chuckle.

“It’s common. A witch gets their first taste of dark magic and suddenly they think they can control everything. Mostly it’s pretty uneventful but…” He trails off. It’s only then that Soonyoung realizes the whole house was silent. It was eerie. There’s a roar, it’s distant and faint but still causes a shiver to reach his spine. It’s like nothing he’s heard before. His stomach turns and he feels like he’s going to vomit but he doesn’t get much time to dwell on this feeling. Joshua speaks once again. 

“We need to get to Woozi.”

He stops. He’s never heard that name before. 

Joshua seems to notice the look of confusion on the other’s face. He scrambles to think of what to say. 

“J-Jihoon he’s in his room. He’s probably got anti-noise charms up— w-what if he doesn’t know?” Joshua sounds desperate now. He’s obviously worried, he’s gripping his hair with one of his hands out of frustration. 

Joshua carefully cracks the door open, making sure to not make a sound. He peeks his head out, waiting a second before he grabs onto Soonyoung’s wrist and gives it a squeeze. Pulling his head back in, he looks the other dead in the eyes. 

“When I pull on your wrist, we run.”

There’s no room to argue so he just nods. Joshua takes a look outside again, hand clamped onto his wrist, preparing to bolt. 

Time stops once again. All Soonyoung can hear is the hum of the air-conditioning running and the tick of a clock somewhere else in the house. 

There’s a tug on his wrist and he prepares to run. 

Run is a bit of an overstatement. With the old wood floors anything past a hurried padding down the halls would surely attract attention from hypersensitive undead types. So they step lively, but nothing past that to avoid unwanted attention. Joshua brings him up the third floor, where their rooms are. The hallway is dark and quiet, like the rest of the house. Save for one door, with light spilling out of crack at the bottom. Somehow, the two make it Woozi’s room without incident. Joshua prays that Woozi has physically locked the door and not used an enchantment. He whispers something Soonyoung can’t quite make out as he waves his hand over the lock. 

_The door clicks._

The two of them bust in. 

 

Woozi isn’t what Soonyoung had imagined. He’s short, small if he’s not going to be polite. He was on his bed, headphones on, sitting crossed-legged as he scribbled furiously inside a notebook. The boy has light pink hair, and pale skin, he can tell even from the other room, that his fingers are calloused. His eyes are a fiery dark brown, his face scrunched up into a scowl. His voice was as dark and angry as his eyes. 

“What are you doing in my room? Looking for a place to hook up, well you can’t do it h—“ He’s cut off by Joshua’s pleading voice. “Woozi please, do you have a anti-noise enchantment in place?” 

“Yes. Why?” He’s pacified for a moment, he can sense there’s something wrong with how Joshua is acting. 

“There was a zombie outbreak again— but this time it’s serious… I think the others will be ok but—“ He motions towards Soonyoung who’s cheeks are honestly still a little burned by Woozi’s accusation. 

“He’s the most vulnerable to these kinds of attacks. He's a human. He can get bitten.” 

Woozi takes his headphones off, he’s completely serious now. Zombies weren't a laughing matter, even if they'd seen similar situations to this in their training. They could cause damage, and to a human, they could be deadly. Even if they were weak and poorly constructed. 

“What are we going to do?” 

“We need to find the others. Especially Kahi. I don’t know how weak they are. I mean, I can tell they’re not that strong and there aren’t many of them but… it’s different than the last times.” 

The shorter gets off the bed, slipping a jacket over his shoulders. He points at Soonyoung harshly. 

“You. You follow me and stay behind me at all times, you hear?” 

Soonyoung nods with a faint smile, even given the situation he finds the other man’s bossiness, cute. It’s something to do with the way he acts, the dead seriousness that is radiating from Woozi’s eyes. It’s been a while since he’s felt a feeling like this but he can tell he’s attracted to the other. 

A lot of unexpected things were happening tonight. 

 

“Are you sure about this?” Joshua hisses before the three of them set off. He’s anxious, Woozi isn’t exactly new to magic but his is the most volatile out of all the witches. There were a lot of risks. 

“Josh. You’re a potions master, no offense but what help are you to us right now?”

“But you could burn the whole house down—“ 

“It’s not like we have much choice.” 

He bit onto his lower lip, chewing on it to keep his mouth shut. His best friend was right. As a potions master (well, master-in-training), he wasn’t exactly skilled in battle magic like the others. He’d never had the knack for it. Not like Minghao or Seungkwan. Even Woozi whose magic was unstable and Jeonghan who was a healer, were more adapt than him. He had a few potions saved up for emergencies and strapped to his hip. They were mostly things to stun and to heal. He didn’t really like confrontations and he hated fighting. Only doing it when he had to. He liked to think of himself as a pacifist. 

 _“But you’d still sell your potions to anyone for the right price.”_ Jeonghan would say, just to rile him up. Unfortunately, he couldn’t dispute that. 

So he placed all his trust in this moment into Woozi’s hands. Not that it was particularly hard to do despite his worries at first. Woozi was a talented witch, he was capable and good at it. He just had a confidence issue, something the others all tried to help out with; all of them fully knowing that it would all come down to Woozi. When he was ready, and right now he seemed ready. At least, more ready then he’d ever seen in a similar situation (although Joshua would like to stress that it’s not like situations like this happened all the time, honest). Joshua wasn’t really sure what had sparked such fire into his friend but, even given the circumstances. It was a nice change to see. Hopefully it was something that would last. 

 

They hear the wooden floors creak slowly, footsteps passing below them, going at a sluggish pace. They pause in that moment, breath held in their lungs till the air burns. There were low groans, then a crash and the sound of someone scurrying on the floor. Woozi motions for them to move, and they do so— slowly, he was at the front, hands at the ready, with Joshua behind him, covering Soonyoung just in case. 

Woozi could feel his palms itch, a dim glow pulsing from a mark imprinted on the back of his left hand. His magic wanted to be let out. The fire inside of him was aching to get out. As they make their way down the stairs, Joshua whispers with a hushed voice. “It’s 4 am. We just need to make it to sunrise.” 

Woozi nods, and it’s then when they make it to the bottom step and right into the arms of a gruesome zombie. 

Joshua immediteatly grabs for Soonyoung and pushes him up the stairs, away from the creature. Without warning, Woozi snaps into action— fire spilling from his fingertips in tiny spurts at first and then in large, billowy flames. He grabs for the zombie, hands grabbing at it’s face. The zombie wasn’t very strong, it’s skulls collapsing under his touch upon contact. It’s flesh bubbling and melting away as Woozi’s whole hands become consumed with fire. It’s left on floor, a mess of goo and bone. They begin to move quickly, Woozi’s power unpredictable, he had to destroy as many of the zombies as he could. 

 

“Jihoon!” someone calls out, and a small pack of boys meets their eyes. Woozi turns to yell at them to be quiet, but a growling zombie lunges at them; Seungcheol reaches for it with one hand. Crushing it in one blow. Stopping it completely. Jeonghan reaches for Woozi with a worried look on his face etched deep, he’s inspecting his hands with his eyes. Woozi mutters that Jeonghan will get burnt, touching the fire and Jeonghan lets himself chuckle, reminding him that witches can’t get burnt. Minghao steps forward and rushes to look at Soonyoung, smoothing his hair down like a worried mother, and looking him over for any scrapes or bruises. Mingyu laughs, Chan holding onto his arm from behind. “Already looking for my replacement babe?” In one motion Minghao hugs Soonyoung’s face and sighs, his body slightly leaning into the other. 

_“I was worried.”_

“We need to keep moving” Someone says, behind them another chimes in. “There’s no point in being quiet now. We need to eradicate these suckers!” 

They move in a pack, Seungcheol and Mingyu at the front with Woozi at the back. Soonyoung glued to his side. Theres a commotion, even if zombies aren’t particularly fast they’re still gruesome. With their melted and scarred faces, emaciated bodies with flesh hanging from them. They had strength too, even if they were lumberingly slow they could pack a punch. They’d come upon a group of them, Mingyu going head to head with one, as Seungcheol took another. With a shock, one made it past the others and lunged at Soonyoung, quickly Woozi put a stop to that. With a hand full of flames he grabbed onto it, pushing him away from the other. 

Flames are dripping down his arms, another zombie has been melted, even more so now. Some of it’s bones are charred, turned to dust. His mark is red hot. Soonyoung is in awe. The small fluttering in his chest now at full throttle. He knows this isn’t what he should be focusing on in the moment but he can’t help it. 

_Woozi is amazing._

 

But it all provides to be too much for the small man. As soon as the zombie disappears before him, his body begins to fight itself. The flames crawling up his body farther and faster, everything becoming hot. Joshua notices, how his friend’s eyes close shut, his body seizing as the fire spreads faster. It’s Soonyoung who is able to reach him first, even with his body aflame he holds onto him. Trying to calm him down, but the flames spread faster. Joshua is screaming at him to let go, afraid he’s going to get hurt but then he notices Soonyoung whisper something into Woozi’s ear and suddenly, the flames disperse. His body goes limp, but Soonyoung still holds onto him.  Only Joshua notices how the human doesn’t have a single burnt mark on him. His eyebrows draw together with confusion, but before he can question it the others are ushering him into a room. 

 

Their group was now in another room, something that feels like a smaller living room. Mingyu and Seungcheol are keep an eye out for any more zombies. He and Chan are in the back of the room with Joshua. Minghao and Jeonghan focused on keeping a protective enchantment on them all. Soonyoung has Woozi laying besides him with his head in his lap. Transfixed he keeps his eyes on the other, waiting for him to wake up. 

 

He’s brought out of his trance when someone walks in. She’s a witch. She has a large brimmed witch’s hat on her head, a long cape draped over her shoulders and a large staff in her hand. She looks all powerful, her stance wide and powerful. It takes him a moment, with her long black gloves and black dress with black tights and black shoes; that he realizes. 

 _“Kahi!”_ Mingyu shouts, and she smiles. The facade cracks for a moment, she looks relieved. They all look relieved. 

“Are you boys okay?” She asks, her eyes drifting over all of them, stopping at Woozi who is in Soonyoung’s arms. 

They all nod except Soonyoung who has his eyes glued to the boy he’s holding. Chan reaches out to hold onto one of Soonyoung’s hands, giving it a squeeze. Finally, he speaks up. 

“Yeah. We got it taken care of.” 

She seems satisfied with that answer and with a wave of her staff, the drapes in the window are drawn and sunlight comes gushing in. She lays down in a chair, feet propped up, her eyes full of pride. 

“You boys did well. The girls and I took care of the rest, Raina and Nana are doing a headcount at the moment. Making sure everyone in town is accounted for. Hopefully none of the humans got bit. I don't really fancy spending the whole day making an antidote.”

“Vernon and Seungkwan— where are they?” Minghao inquires, stretching his arms out as he breaks his trance, the protective seal he and Jeonghan had been working on faltering before disappearing into the air. 

“We found them upstairs, asleep.” 

Mingyu scoffs. 

“Seungkwan had made a very powerful protective charm, Raina was so proud. It took all of his energy though, I guess your boy Vernon—“ Her chin lifts up as she motions towards Seungcheol. “Decided to curl up next to him and sleep too. Young love is so cute.” 

“Ah! Seokmin!” Seungcheol shouts, remembering his fellow vampire. “Did you find him?” 

Kahi yawns, “With Taeyong, Jungkook and the rest of Mingyu’s pack.”

With these words, something dawns on Mingyu and he beckons to Chan, who lets go of Soonyoung’s hand. His demeanor has changed just slightly. The air in the room drops like a stone and Soonyoung can’t help but shiver. Minghao gets up, his eyes downcast and he presses a quick kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek. As they exit, Chan’s voice lingers. 

_“You’re not a bad leader. These things happen.”_

 

It’s only when Jeonghan asks if he’s going to eat his cereal or use the bowl and it’s contents as a pillow that Soonyoung realizes just how tired he is. His arms feel like lead, every moment he makes, he aches. His lids are heavy and he’s not even aware of his surroundings. He’s drifting in and out of consciousness. He excuses himself, thinking it best if he just went to bed and got some sleep. The adrenaline from last night wearing off. He’s not picky about where he sleeps, with the events of the day the boys are climbing into whichever bed they find first. Minghao and Soonyoung’s room was first, so Woozi had been dropped off in their room. Soonyoung didn’t complain that he’d been dropped off onto his bed either. Sluggishly, he placed a pillow on the floor and grabbed a blanket. Minghao had told he could sleep on his bed but truthfully, Soonyoung didn’t mind.

He remembers vaguely, what Joshua had told him before he began to fade. That Woozi doesn’t warm up to others easily but, Soonyoung couldn’t help but hope. There was something about the other that interested him greatly. He wanted to be friends. 

 

Minghao had been lounging on the couch, doing a whole lot of nothing. Seungkwan had woken up an hour ago and roused Vernon to join him down stairs now that the coast was clear. He was listening to the two bicker over a video game when there was a muffled shout. 

Vernon jolted, accidentally knocking Seungkwan’s character into a pit of lava. There was some banging from beneath their feet and a low roar. All three of them stay still.

“Shit I thought you guys got rid of all the zombies.” Vernon squeaks. 

“ _Language_ — asshole.” 

“You two shush—“ Minghao gets up from his seat, his eyes wide as he makes his way towards the door leading to the basement. Jeonghan rushes in with Joshua, “What was that noise?” His voice is exasperated at best. Joshua looks like he’d just gone to sleep, only to be awoken again. 

The basement door swings open and the sound becomes louder. 

Jun steps forward with a bellowing yawn, Wonwoo behind him with a large book in his hands. With a hand over his stomach, scratching, he stares at them bleary eyed. His glasses askew on his face. 

_“What’d we miss?”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to stick to my schedule but i've been sick lately so writing has been hard ; ; I apologize.   
> If you wanna see any updates check out my [tumblr!](http://ssulrealisim.tumblr.com)


	4. Spell no.3: Uninvited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An uninvited guest pops in on Woozi & Soonyoung's pancake date. Mingyu's authority is threatened and people are starting to disappear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for being late again ; ; I'm changing my schedule to every other week due to life commitments that popped up suddenly. 
> 
> The first part is a mess argh. 
> 
> Also Soul is Baby Soul from Lovelyz.

 

 

Despite it being summer, there was a chill in the air. There was a quality in it that made Mingyu’s blood run cold whenever he stepped outside of his house. He felt the need to be extra cautious. He was at the edge of their town, a place full of deep and compact wood and brush. Serenity Falls wasn’t as well developed as it’s neighbors. There was a small grocery store, a clothing store and a diner, a game center that was open only on the weekends, one museum, a library and a small school. The only church was occupied at the moment. The community pool was tiny but most preferred to play in the stream that ran to the north of them. Everything else was residential or forest. There wasn’t much that was in between. Which suited everyone just fine. There was enough to occupy everyone. 

Mingyu and his pack liked to roam the outskirts, keeping an eye out for trouble, but he hadn’t made a round with the others in quite some time. 

“Because you’re too busy day-dreaming over that witch boy, you’ve forgotten what being a leader is like.” He winced, hearing Jaehyun’s voice ring in his head, but he was right. He hadn’t been acting like a leader should be lately. 

Lately. 

Lately, his mind had been full of a thin but powerful boy who could speak to the dead and summon beings from beyond. A boy who spoke languages Mingyu would never deem possible. A boy who was completely out of his league, yet somehow had fallen in love with him. 

He was getting off track again, but Minghao did that to him, the mere thought of his smile, his eyes that were glassy and cute; cause him to get off track, like a train with a faulty wheel. Even the echoing of his lover’s laugh in his mind cause everything to go fuzzy. Wind rushed past, rustling the leaves on the trees around him, reminding him of his mission. His extremely important mission. 

 

_The youngest member of their pack could feel the tensions rise. His family was on the brink of an argument again, but this time he didn’t know how to ease the anger. He didn’t know how to stop the fighting. So all Chan could do was wait, and hope that they’d go to bed angry but wake up content. Their pack wasn’t very big, and it was a young group. Still, they did well for themselves and had a large territory, but that kind of situation could only cause attention. Something he knew Jaehyun and Mark weren’t too keen on. Taeyong hand his arms firmly around Jaehyun’s waist, as he tried to keep the other from throwing punches at their leader. Likewise, Jungkook and Taeil both kept Mingyu from doing something he might regret. Their leader was normally calm and collected, but Jaehyun’s words tonight were digging straight into his skin. Needles of vicious words and pierced right into the open wounds, the deep seeded fears Mingyu carried with him everyday._

 

_“You always go running to him like a lost puppy! For the past year it’s been ‘Minghao this’, ‘Minghao that’! I’m sick of it, I’m sick of that pretentious witch always hanging out here and acting like we make a mess of things! How could you even fall for a guy like that? He’s obviously play—“_

_“Jaehyun stop.” Mingyu growled out, his teeth showing, Taeil could feel weight pushing back at him and he stared at Jungkook with pleading eyes, but neither could do anything. Mingyu’s eyes were heating up with fury, his muscles getting tense. If Jaehyun knew what was good for him, he’d stop at this moment but still he kept pushing._

_“What? Don’t like the truth? He’s playing you Mingyu! Everyone can see it. Why would a witch with his skill, with his pedigree— ever want to hang out with a lowly werewolf like you? You may be a pack leader but look at us Mingyu—“ Jaehyun’s movements were wild now, he waved his arms in an exaggerated manner and tilted his head as he smiled with a laugh._

_“We’re a team of rejects! The only reason we’re even with you is because our families abandoned us!”_

_With that Mingyu tried to lunge at Jaehyun, going for his throat with snarling teeth and claws extended._

_“Minghao was abandoned too!”_

 

He took a deep breath. 

 

Now wasn’t really the best time to be so deep in thought.

Something that read on Jungkook's face as he saddled up to his side and raised an eyebrow. 

“I’m fine” He lied. 

There were bigger things to worry about. A pack to the west of them was experiencing kidnappings— and they were taking out the strongest first. Every other pack around them was on edge, this wasn’t normal predatory behavior. This was something different. The last thing Mingyu wanted was to have one of his own go missing. So he had everyone in teams of three, surveying the surrounding wilderness. Making sure the town, and it’s inhabitants were safe. 

 

Nothing. 

 

He could feel a change in the air, since last night and it wasn’t because he had been in a fight with his second in command either. 

“Somethings changed.” Jungkook growled, pushing his jacket collar in to cover part of his face. They may be up north but it was still unseasonably cold this summer. 

“You can feel it too?” Chan asked, he was the jumpiest out of the three; the slightest movement making his fur stand up, but it was understandable. He was the youngest out of all of them. He hadn’t experienced as much as the others. 

 

Mingyu nodded. 

 

He had felt the presence of others, but he had thought it was because Soonyoung had arrived. The more he visualized, the more he realized it was more. There were more, but that was all he could filter out at the moment. There was a block, powerful magic was at play. Trouble was brewing. 

“Alright lets head back. The others should be home already. Chan stay close to me.” 

He took a moment to pat the other on the top of the head before they all set out. When he got back, he’d call a meeting. Then call the other pack leaders, convene with Nayoung and Joonmyun and talk about what to do. 

 

 

Soonyoung was currently in the middle of a battle. He faced his opponent with determined eyes, squinting to show his menace. He wiped his brow, which was slick with sweat. It was now or never.

 

He charged forward with a loud scream. 

 

The small diner in Serenity Falls had a strength machine. 

 

If you beat it you got free pancakes. 

 

_Thats what the sign said._

 

Woozi was in a corner booth, opposite of him, staring with incredulous belief as he fought with the machine. He had already ordered a plate for himself, and had offered to buy some for his companion. Soonyoung had refused, his eyes set on the machine since he’d walked it. 

A small women came up to him, she was clad in a dress and apron, hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her smiles was bookended by soft dimples, she was round but curvy. Her name was Soul, and she was the waitress who worked at Pancakes n’ Stuff who was legend despite being a human. With a kind face and a penchant for listening, she was the only reason most people even came to the dinner. There were rumors she was a siren, what with her lasting as a human in a town like Serenity Falls for almost ten years, and with a voice that seemed to draw you in. She had a number of suitors, but never seemed to care about relationships. Woozi liked her because she didn’t pry. He could spend hours at the diner and never hear a peep unless she was asking if he wanted coffee and more pancakes. 

 “So thats the newcomer everyone was talking about huh?” Her voice was accented with a slight twang, a hint of smoke laced in it. She was watching Soonyoung with amused eyes.

Woozi grunts. 

“He’s alright.” 

“Considering its you saying that Woozi, I’m taking that as a compliment.” He didn’t need to look up to know she was smiling at him, he grunted again as she let out a small laugh, filling up his mug with more coffee. 

 

Soonyoung gripped the machine with both hands and pulled at it forcefully, one knee propped up on the machine, his right foot pressed against wall the machine was plugged into. Woozi watched, with Soul as he pushed and pulled with all his strength. 

The machines clanged, than rang with a loud sound— signaling he’d won against it. 

“WINNER!” Boomed in a loud voice as a ticket popped out for Soonyoung to take. 

 

_“You cheated.”_

“How can you cheat when there are no instructions? It just said ‘Beat the machine! Win free pancakes!’” 

“You still cheated.”

“I still got free pancakes.” Soonyoung gave him a toothy smile, and Woozi fought against the small jump his heart made. He coughed, grabbing his coffee and took a giant gulp. 

Soonyoung hadn’t asked any questions since his welcoming party disaster. Woozi was amazed that he’d stayed, honestly. Any self-preserving human would’ve packed their things and been out next chance he got, but he’d stayed. Now the witches had found themselves asking questions, the most prevalent on everyone’s mind was, why? 

“It’s not like I’ve got anywhere else to go.” Was all he’d give them, quickly dismissing the conversation, and nagging questions. Instead he’d requested a tour of the town, he wanted to see more of this wacky place and meet even more locals. He was a strange human. 

His laissez-faire attitude made Woozi suspect that there was more to this man than was known, so despite his initial attitude towards him, he’d been the first to offer himself as a tour guide. He was curious. He’d just leave it at that. 

 

They were the only two customers in the diner at the moment. The diner itself was tiny, holding only a few booths and three tables. It was modeled like a quirky fifties diner with a jukebox and everything. Soonyoung like it. It was cheery and calm. The perfect place to start off a tour of the town. 

Conversation had drifted from topic to topic, nothing sticking, like spring petals in the wind. Still, one thought remained in Soonyoung’s mind. Woozi's mark, the one that was seared into the back of his left hand. It was a strange mark. The scaring was smooth, and elegant. It didn’t look like he had been branded. It looked like it had just existed since time, growing with Woozi. Soonyoung had been memorized since he first saw it the other night. When he closes his eyes, he can still see the glow emitting from the mark as Woozi’s hand lit with fire.

Two Xs, bookend by parallel lines. When he looked at the mark, he was filled with a since of nostalgia and it drove him wild. Where had he seen such a mark before? He wanted to ask the other about it but he didn’t know how to broach the subject. His mouth was open, sentence on the tip of his tongue when the clang of the diner door opening interrupted the thought. A man walked in, his face was feminine, but angular. He had a grace to his walk, serene but there was force behind each step. He had short cropped hair that was jet black, with piercings dotting both of his ears. The moment Woozi took notice of him, his body froze. Soonyoung could see him turn rigid, tensing up like the string of a bow pulled back tight. 

“ _Woozi_ ”

His voice was like liquid, clear and viscous. It moved in and out of Soonyoung’s ears like water dripping off a leaf in the rain. Without ceremony, he sat down next to the other, the man seemed to know he made Woozi uncomfortable and yet, he was all smiles and ease. 

“I heard you guys threw quite the party the other night… shame I wasn’t invited.” 

Woozi stuffed another forkful of pancake into his mouth and muttered with a muffled voice,

“Invitation must have gotten lost in the mail.” 

He wasn’t looking at the other, when the man had sat down next to him, he’d moved the farthest he could, squishing up against the side of the booth where the window was. 

“You really think I’m going to buy that?” There was no malice in his voice, instead, it seemed like he was joking, having his fun with how uncomfortable he made the witch. 

“What do you want, Ten?” Woozi snapped, added stress on the last part, the man’s name. The sound an aggressive hiss. 

Ten continued to smile, clasping his hands together and faced Soonyoung. 

“The new guy— You—“ He pointed at Soonyoung. “My guys want to meet you. You’re wildly fascinating a human who wants to spend time with witches!” Soonyoung pointed at himself quizzically, surprised that anyone would want to meet him, of all people.  “You’re welcome to come with too, Woozi. You know you’re always welcome in our neck of the woods… We’re always willing to help you out with your mark there you know. Kahi isn’t the only one who can help with a curse that strong.” 

The last few syllables had barely left Ten’s mouth when Woozi slammed his hands against the table, causing Soul who was cleaning glasses on the other side of the room to jump from the sound. 

“Fuck off” Woozi managed to get out, as he shoved Ten out of the booth. 

_“I don’t need help from the likes of you.”_

Woozi had now stepped out of the booth and he motioned for Soonyoung to follow him, Soonyoung wanted to say something, but he felt it best that he didn’t. So he took another hurried bite and shimmed himself out of his seat. He gave a small and rushed bow to Ten and Soul as they left, as to not be rude. 

 

Ten however, was not finished with the conversation, he followed after the two, shouting at Woozi.

“You know I’m right! Kahi maybe the most powerful witch in the country but not even she knows what she’s up against. That symbol on your hand isn’t just some birthmark! It’s a curse! It requires absolute power and control! I know you know of the consequences… This isn’t something that can be controlled just by practice, you need intuition, you need feeling. Woozi— _Please_ — You need the help of the Fae—”

His voice was more and more desperate as Soonyoung and Woozi walked further and farther away, Soonyoung wondered if he should turn back and take Woozi with him. The way Ten talked, he seemed genuinely concerned for the witch. Soonyoung panicked, maybe Woozi should be listening to Ten, but then what if Ten couldn’t be trusted and Woozi knew something he didn’t? 

 

Soonyoung stopped, deep in thought and worry about how to act in such a situation. Truthfully, he hadn’t had much human interaction, had human connections, in a long time that deciphering what to do with conflicts like this made his head spin with every possibility and the best way to act. All thoughts ceased when he felt a hand take his, Woozi was looking at him with hardened eyes. 

“Don’t. He’s not worth listening too.” Those words helped soothe him, if Woozi wasn’t comfortable, if Woozi was telling him not to then Soonyoung would obey. With that the two walked out of Ten’s sight and onto a small path. 

His hands weren’t soft, they were thick and calloused, Soonyoung could feel the etchings of scars on his palm. His skin was dry, faintly cracked, but warm and lovely all the same. 

“It’s not a curse.”

Woozi’s voice was frail, Soonyoung wouldn’t have heard him, had Woozi not turned to face him. 

“The mark, it’s not a curse.” He was fiddling with a few ends of his hair nervously. 

“It’s a seal… _a family seal_.” 

Tentatively, a hand reached for Woozi’s, making the other face Soonyoung. There were small tears welling in his eyes, an emotion overcoming him, one he hadn’t felt in a while. Soonyoung’s fingertips touched the marking on Woozi’s hand with feather-like touches, face marred with concern. All it took was for their eyes to meet; tears falling down his cheeks as Soonyoung pulled him into a hug.  His vulnerability was showing, a sensation completely foreign to him, and he chose a stranger to show it to. Yet, somehow, Woozi felt like he was in the arms of a true friend. 

Soonyoung stood with the crying man, till his tears dried. The weight of Woozi’s head pressing the pendant that was tucked into his shirt securely, up against his chest. He hummed softly, never letting the other go. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone wants to know what Woozi's mark and Hoshi's pendant look like then click [HERE](http://ssulrealisim.tumblr.com/post/162721397547/took-a-break-from-writing-due-to-my-migraines)
> 
> Thank you so much for reading ; v ; I always appreciate comments! 
> 
>  
> 
> Next chapter things should be picking up!


	5. spell no.4: Errands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soonyoung does some errands and bonds with Seungkwan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO IM SO SORRY FOR MY EXTENDED HIATUS. 
> 
> I won't bore anyone with the details but I was sick and some family things came up. That coupled with work just made my last few months miserable but I got to see Seventeen live and thats actually when things started looking up for me lol. I ended up retconning all of what I had planned/was planning for this fic because I realized I had more I wanted to say. So thats also why this took a lot longer to get out. I'm trying my best to connect all the dots lol. 
> 
> I hope this chapter makes sense, it's not as edited as my previous chapters and i'm not really happy with what I wrote, but I didn't want to drag on the process any longer because I felt bad about not posting. unfortunately I'm still sick so I can't promise any type of schedule but i'm going to try my hardest to post every other week like i'd said before. If it seems like that isn't possible then I might double up on writing and post once a month but try and post 5-6k+ chapters instead. 
> 
> wheezes thats a lot of words, anyway, I hope you like this chapter. Thank you for sticking around!

 

Fire licks at his ankles as he stumbles out of his bedroom. Thick smoke inhibits his ability to see, he coughs, choking on every breathe he takes. He fumbles, searching for a way out. Soonyoung has no idea how he found himself in this position. One moment he had just said goodnight to his mother, the next he can feel heat rising, urging him to get out of his house now. Flames are licking at his limbs, pain prickling everywhere. He calls out for his mom and hopes for a response, but there is none. Silence brings a rush of cold fear up from the pit of his stomach to his mouth. No response is what you fear the most in an emergency situation. There’s panic inside him now, he wants to get out, he needs to get out, he needs to find his mom, he needs the pain in his lungs to stop— a million things rush in and out his consciousness. He grabs for a doorknob— not realizing it would be burning hot. He yells in pain, holding onto the afflicted hand. He collapses, the smoke rises, the fire becomes more intense. He’s never felt such a suffocating heat before. 

 

_He’s going to die._

 

There is cracking. A hand reaches out for him amongst the putrid fumes, and he takes it. It pulls him through the broken door and into the living room. He doesn’t register the fact that his body has transcended time and space, has glided through a chunky, falling apart door with no scratches. He’s too focused on his mother, she’s looking into his eyes now, she’s a mess her hair tangled and tinged with soot. Her hands are red hot and scarred already. She’s yelling instructions at him. She’s crying. She’s begging him to leave and never look back. 

 

“Don’t look back, don’t wait for me, don’t try to intervene” 

 

Gripping onto his face, she places a kiss on his forehead. 

 

_“Remember that I love you.”_  

 

With that he runs, out of the house and into the darkened streets where they live. He collapses as soon as he hits pavement. The last glimpse he has of his mother is her figure, surrounded by flames as she walks further into the house. He blinks and her figure changes to that of a small man with light pink hair, his fingers are glowing. 

 

Soonyoung wakes up in a cold sweat, clothes clinging to his body, hair all sticky. He quickly glances over to see if he’s awakened his roomie, only to remember that Minghao had snuck out hours before to be with Mingyu. He lets himself gasp for air, attempting to calm down before deciding he needs to take the most quiet shower in his life. It’s only 4 am and the whole house is still asleep. He prays to no one, he doesn’t want to explain himself. The memories still to fresh in his mind, he’s still not ready to talk about the day his mother died. The day he left his former self behind. 

 

“ _Oh_ I never noticed that scar on your hand Soonyoung—“ Jeonghan’s pitch is high, inundated with a light laugh, his tone slightly mocking as he dodges bits of bread and scone being flung his way. 

“Shut. Up.” Woozi is stern in his gaze, fire flickering in his eyes, teeth clenched tight. Joshua takes notice of his best friend’s discomfort and moves quickly to distract Jeonghan. He’s had enough fun for now. Pushing Woozi out with a tray of cakes and cookies, he corners his other friend and gets him focused back on to making tea for everyone. Kahi was situated on the couch, still in her pajamas and silk robe. This is the most thrown together that Woozi has seen her in years, but she looks happy, she looks relaxed. He can hear the soft sound of footsteps briskly walking upstairs, and he knows it’s Soonyoung. In order to pay Kahi back for letting him stay he decided to take up all the cleaning duties, and other errands that didn’t require magic. 

 

So she was fully chilled out, chatting away with Jun— his books and papers spilled over a low coffee table. Wonwoo wasn’t attached to him like normal, he was with Minghao, the two having bonded the past couple of weeks. The young witch was in awe of the tattoos that blanketed the Fae’s skin. In particular one on his right wrist which was a smaller circle enclosed in a larger one. It didn’t seem to fit with the other tattoos, which were all words in Fae script— light and delicate. The tattoo was bold and strong, it almost looked as if it was carved into his skin. Which made it even more transfixing to Minghao. Wonwoo told him it was an archaic symbol, signifying the sun.

 

“Your brother has one that matches, but it’s of the moon.” 

 

His head snapped up, the last thing he had expected out of his brother would be for him to have a matching tattoo. Strictly speaking, even with his five o’clock shadow and overgrown bed head he was always a bit on the conservative side. He can remember on multiple occasions when Mingyu and Jun clashed because Jun felt they were too touchy, even for a couple. He didn’t like the way Mingyu and Minghao acted, how perfect Mingyu’s arms fit into every crevice of Minghao. 

Conservativeness aside, he never seemed very— sentimental either. He wasn’t sentimental enough to stay with Minghao, like a real brother; through thick and thin. This thought prickles his skin and he chastises himself for such a thought, he doesn’t like thinking in such a way. He feels ashamed, but the thought still lingers. Jun is the personification of air in Minghao’s mind. A being he couldn’t catch, one that simply slipped through his fingers like his presence had never existed. A matching tattoo seemed… too loving. A feeling that didn’t exist much between brothers even if they cared for one another. 

 

“What does it look like?”

 

His interest was piqued, wonder creeping up his skin. He was simply fascinated. 

Wonwoo reached for a piece of paper and pulled a pen from behind his ear, with thick strokes he drew the symbol. A full moon, with a crescent carved to the side. 

“Wow.” There was beauty in the simplicity of each design. Minghao never knew his brother could be so romantic. 

“Don’t be getting any ideas now, he would kill me.” The Fae laughed, his partner shooting them a knowing look. Minghao kept silent, swallowing any words he was going to say. He didn’t have the the heart to tell either that he and Mingyu were already bonded by something much stronger. Their bond was just invisible. 

 

Jeonghan slid in next to a despondent Woozi who was picking at his cake and engaging in some people watching as well. He was surrounded by people with other halves once again.

“Breakfast or earl grey?” He asked, pouring a quick cup for Joshua who was sitting comfy in the chair beside them. 

Woozi doesn’t acknowledge him, he just grunts and takes a teapot for himself, jamming a cucumber and cream cheese sandwich into Jeonghan’s mouth before he can talk back. 

 

 

Soonyoung took a deep breath, his lungs filling with fresh air. It was such a beautiful summer day out, he hardly felt like he was running errands at all. He was greatly looking forward to visiting the vampires in their church. When he knocked on the door, a sleepy Vernon greeted him. 

“You know what time it is?” He asked grumpily, his eyes barely peeking out from the sliver of open door.

 

_Oh that’s right. Vampires aren’t exactly morning people._

 

“I have some letters for you— and this— vial— uh— thing?—” Soonyoung said, handing him a bundle of letters tied with string and a small vial of silver-ish, milky liquid that Kahi had told him to, ‘handle with care’. Vernon just nodded his head, yawning as he eyed then pocketed the vial and checked out the letters.  

“Oh hey, you wanna come inside for a bit? Min and Cheol are asleep but I know they’ve got some letters to be delivered, and I do too…” 

Soonyoung nodded, walking in, he was surprised at how light and airy it was inside. Vernon laughed, informing him that they only burned in direct sunlight. 

 

“The stained glass really helps. It’s from like the 1700s or something.”

 

The inside of the church was almost empty, the pews and altar having been knocked down or replaced. Only the church organ was left. There were three caskets in the middle, with the smallest one laying open. It smelled slightly damp, he noticed that the floors were made of stone with soft green moss growing in the cracks. 

“Sorry— were not really ones for decorating.” Vernon says, as he hands Soonyoung some letters. Soonyoung looks through them, 

“Jeonghan, Seungkwan—“ He raises an eyebrow at Vernon who counters him almost immediately. 

“We vampires are traditionalists.” He places a hand is placed over his heart. “We like to write love letters. You should try it.” But his cool exterior is betrayed by a slight pink flush spreading over his nose and around the tips of his ears as he scratches the back of his neck. 

“Yuju?” He’s never heard that name before. 

“She’s a human. I think— Pretty sure thats a nickname too, her real name is— ” He’s popping an earbud into one of his ears. Momentarily he stops as he tries to think about her actual name. “Yeri? Yein-Yeo-Yu- Yuna. It’s Yuna, I’m pretty sure.” He nods, happy with his answer. 

“I think Ten knows her, you know Ten right? You’ve hung out with Woozi enough, I’m sure you know him.” With that he’s got the second earbud in and he’s waving Soonyoung off. Soonyoung closes the door behind him just as Vernon closes his casket. He knows Ten, but he doesn’t know where to find him. So he tucks the letter neatly into his pocket and sets off to find him. 

 

Woozi has shown him enough of the town for him to navigate with some ease. He knew the werewolves lived to the east, that the witches were in the west and that to the north were unicorns— not that he’s seen one— yet. That was on his list.

 One thing that Woozi left out, were where the Fae lived. He had skirted around the topic with sentences dripping with inelegance. He gave Soonyoung no foundation to draw from, “They’re uninteresting. Uninteresting almost-birds who just play with animals all day.” Eyebrows drawing together, knitted with serious features; Soonyoung could feel the heat radiate from him— everything was coming in so clearly. That ever-present scowl that graced his lips as frustration showed through in his eyes. Soonyoung knew he shouldn’t find it endearing, but he’d grown fond of Woozi’s opinionated lectures on a world he was still a newbie to. 

 

“You’re so weird” Seungkwan’s snarky voice hit him like a stray baseball, knocking him back from his moony pedestal. 

“Se-Se-Seungkwan—“ Soonyoung sputtered out as the younger stared at him, one eyebrow cocked in a judging look. He didn’t seem that interested in the other at the moment, he was holding onto a black box with a large lock on it. He kept fiddling with it, almost nervous-like. The human grabbed for the small pack of letters he had from Vernon to give to the other. With any luck, it would provide a good defection from the embarrassing compromise he had been seen in just seconds before. 

 

“Here these are for you—” Taking the letters and all but shoving them into Seungkwan’s hands, who gave him another pointed look. 

 

“Why do you— Oh thats right! You’re running errands for Kahi.” He coughed, blushing a little (Soonyoung noted it was similar to how Vernon blushed, light pink tinge showing on the tips of his ears). 

 

“Thanks.” 

 

All topics of conversation had been exhausted, besides the obvious. He was itching to ask about the box, but he noticed Seungkwan wasn’t his usual talkative self so he wondered if it was best to not mention the box so large Seungkwan had to carry it with both of his hands. 

 

“So- Uh— That’s a nice box you’ve got there…” 

 

Damn it. 

 

The younger’s demeanor took on a serious tone, as he looked Soonyoung in the eyes. “Can you keep a secret?” He asked point blank. 

“Yes?…” Truthfully, Soonyoung didn’t know who he’d even talk to if he had a pressing secret. 

“Wonwoo asked me to do something for him— He asked me to get fairy dust! From Ten! I had to go all the way east to the Fae Forest to get it. We’re not allowed to touch this stuff at the coven, but I’ve always been interested in it’s properties— Even non-magical users can harness it’s powers—“ Seungkwan’s blush became more noticeable. 

“Don’t tell the others— please— strictly speaking I was asked by Wonwoo not to tell anyone else about this— not even Jun— but— I mean I told Vernon, obviously— You don’t know anything bout these types of things so it’s ok, right?” 

 

Soonyoung nodded, fairy dust seemed like something that came from a children’s story. Seungkwan continued to give a spirited lecture about the properties that fairy dust held. His eyes sparkled and shone as he exclaimed everything they could do. He then began to tell Soonyoung that he’d gotten the box from Ten, who was a friend of Wonwoo’s— somehow— 

 

The two of them continued their conversation into town, with Seungkwan as a walking buddy there was rarely a moment of silence. Every second was filled with his thoughts and ideas, Soonyoung relished the fact that an answer wasn’t expected from him. He just needed to lend an ear to an overly-excited and peppy Seungkwan, always welcome to share his opinions. Their conversation bounced from one thing to another, finally, they landed on the letters Soonyoung still had in his hand. 

 

“Oh thats right, you’re supposed to be delivering those letters, right? Not stuck here listening to me.” His smile was bashful, a bit sheepish. Soonyoung reassured the other that he wasn’t just trapped in a one-way conversation with no end in sight, that he had actually enjoyed listening to him. The shorter vowed to help Soonyoung track down Yuju as a thanks. When he finished that last bit, the two found themselves at the steps of the coven house. 

 

“You’re delivering something too aren’t you? You should give that to Wonwoo. Then we can track down Ten.” 

 

The door slammed open, a gust of strong wind escaping from inside the house. It rippled through Soonyoung’s clothes and he found himself angling behind Seungkwan who almost toppled over with his large box. 

 

“Who wants to know where that bastard is?” The voice was stark, gruff and— hurt— There was hurt laced in there, almost untraceable but Soonyoung could recognize it in Woozi’s voice. 

 

“Oh— Woozi—” Seungkwan was tripping all over his words, each syllable tumbling out of his mouth in an uncharacteristically clumsy fashion. His words were clearly not working as Woozi’s face twisted more, so he chose to speed past the man and make his way into the basement where Wonwoo and Jun had retired to again. 

 

Which left Soonyoung all alone, to deal with an angry Woozi, his fist balled tightly— tiny sparks popping off his skin. 

 

A lot of things went through his mind as Soonyoung stood there, he contemplated the many ways he could lie his way out of such a mess. He was deep into his third option when something clicked in him. 

 

He didn’t want to lie to Woozi. The other meant more to him than that. If he was curious about Woozi’s past, he should just ask him. Directly. 

 

“I have a letter from Seokmin to deliver to a- Yuju? Vernon said she and Ten knew each other.” 

 

Woozi’s face went slack as he curved his back to look at the floor. 

 

“Oh. Okay.” 

 

Soonyoung was grinning from ear-to-ear, wondering if it was alright to test the waters— he slipped his arms around the shoulders of the shorter man and let out a flirtatious hum. 

 

“Were you jealous?” 

 

He could feel him bristle like a black cat caught in the headlights of a car. Still, the contact released tension in his body and Soonyoung couldn’t possibly smile more when he had noticed. 

 

“I would never.” But if the glance Soonyoung shared with Joshua as he stepped inside was to mean anything; he was right. 

 

The moment the door closed, Woozi forcibly removed Soonyoung’s arms and walked away without a word. He would take what he could get. 

 

It was a slow process, but neither witch nor human were completely sure of their feelings for each other yet.  

 

Soonyoung had a peaceful few minutes spent with Minghao and Joshua, eating cookies and gulping down tea, before Seungkwan emerged from the basement once again.  His face was flush from exercise and he had a bead of sweat dripping down his cheek, which he wiped away as soon as he had noticed. 

 

“That box was heavy.” He sighed, fixing his clothes, before smiling at Soonyoung. 

 

“Are you ready?” 

 

The Fae Forest wasn’t what Soonyoung had expected. He had pictured a place warm and inviting, with animals running around and people flying in and out. He thought that there would be a glow, something asking you to come in, would be surrounding the area. Instead he was greeted by a small cottage that looked uninhabited, with a forest of dying trees surrounding it. The cottage was made of stone, it looked centuries old, maybe more. It was misshapen too, high ceilings maybe; the roof was tall and pointed— the windows didn’t match in size— the door was an imposing size, almost twice as tall as the two and three times the size. The cottage looked like a fortress.

 

 Seungkwan explained that in order to get to the forest you actually had to walk out of town— which wasn’t much of a feat— the town was quite small. Walking along the country road that was only two cars wide, Soonyoung was told more about the fae from Seungkwan. He learned that both witches and fae had widely different views on magic. 

 

“Witches believe in practice makes perfect— that everything can be obtained through knowledge and study. We like to section ourselves off into groups, we like to have specialties. It’s weird for a witch to be well-rounded in magic and not have one specific magic they are the best at. There might be more than one specialty, but it’s usually limited to one or two. Joshua has potions, Jeonghan can heal, Woozi is elemental, I like charms— etc— We’re very regimented, we like studying. A lot. We become dedicated.” There’s a soft but hollow laugh, like he’s in on some weird joke that Soonyoung has no knowledge of. “We don’t generally believe in sharing power either, we’ll help humans— with potions and such, but we don’t believe in non-magic folks obtaining the key. We’re cut-throat and competitive.” Seungkwan told Soonyoung, kicking a stone along the yellow line as best he could. 

 

There was a change in the air as they got closer and closer to the house. Soonyoung noticed as the leaves on the trees changed from vibrant and electric shades of green to mustard yellow, softened red and then— a brown that was almost lifeless before the tress ceased to have leaves on it at all. It was like the life which brought summer had been sucked whole, with the chilly winds and deafening silence; it was like there was a permanent winter. 

 

“Fae believe that magic is what you’re born with— But Fae believe in sharing, thus— fairy dust. Even non-magically inclined people can obtain fairy dust and do what they want. Although the powers are pretty watered down. They like connection and feeling, magic comes from inside. All fae learn the basics, they can all gain a wide range of skills. They do have specialties, they call them familiars—” He turns to Soonyoung for the first time, his tone informative, he nods with his index finger out— as if he was giving a lecture of great importance. 

“But they’re not limited to just that— they can improve in whatever field they want. The only obstacle in their way is connection— if they don’t have a connection, if there isn’t a bond— they will fail.” 

 

With his arms now outstretched he let out a yawn. 

 

“There’s more to it, but it gets really complex— Familiars tend to be more abstract, they can be people— objects— seasons— emotions— Ah— We’re here!” 

The pose Seungkwan made was as if he was a magician who had just finished his greatest trick and was now basking in the applause. 

“It’s not an impressive house on the outside but trust me— it’s amazing.” The glow in Seungkwan’s eyes had returned, it was a shine that was blinding. 

“You really like the fae, huh?” There was a fondness in his voice, Seungkwan was very cute when he got excited about something, Soonyoung thought. 

The smile slipped, but only for a moment. 

“I do.”  His voice was small and you could see the cogs turning in his head as the younger boy picked the best words to convey how he felt at that moment in time. 

“But I wasn’t born a Fae— I was born a witch and I’m very happy.” 

Soonyoung’s smile only grew wider and he rested an arm on Seungkwan’s shoulder, hand reaching up to pat him on the head. 

 

“I understand. Now, show me whats so amazing about this place because right now I feel like you’re sending me to my doom.” 

 

Seungkwan snickered, pushing at the large wooden door that held many secrets, as it creaked open the scent of spiced apples hit the air, cinnamon wafted through the air. Soonyoung’s body which was once cold began to heat up, he could hear the sound of people singing lightly— 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any questions please feel free to ask! comments are always awesome. 
> 
> For Jun and Wonwoo's tattoos please click [here](http://ssulrealisim.tumblr.com/post/165019814642/i-drew-these-a-long-time-ago-juns-drawing-got). 
> 
> **I have two questions for you all!**
> 
> Originally I was going to cut this fic up into parts based off of couples. So right now we're in pt 1 which focuses on Soonyoung/Woozi, and then it would end at about 10-12 chapters and pick up in pt 2 which would focus on another couple (spoiler it was going to be Seungcheol/Jeonghan). But I wonder if thats too complicated/confusing. It makes sense in my head, because I imagined the fic cut up into "seasons" lol, but would you prefer I keep it all in one single fic? It would mean that the fic won't be completed for quite some time (all together I planned this fic to last about 50 chapters if i'm good). Truthfully, I prefer cutting it up but I also don't want to confuse people. 
> 
> Also, Vernon and Seungkwan are the only couple that won't be the main focus (theres a reason for that) but as I keep thinking of cute side stories for them. I was wondering if anyone would be interested in little drabbles/ficlets that involves just the two of them! 
> 
> Edit: I made a poll that you can take [here](https://goo.gl/forms/og63CEcS5QhQNjsf1), I would really love some feedback! thank you! 
> 
> Wow I wrote a lot of words once again. Thank you again if you've read all of this!! I appreciate it ;;


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